So How Long Until Someone In Kalamazoo Creates Craft Hard Coffee?

You may have seen a story about this already, or heard some mention of it. Pabst Brewing, the makers of solid, cheap beer, are, shall we say, diversifying their portfolio. Word spreading this week that PBR is test marketing a hard coffee product, the eponymous "Pabst Blue Ribbon Hard Coffee."

The product is brewed with Arabica and Robusta coffee beans, milk and some vanilla. After you add in the booze, it checks in at about 5% ABV. (stronger than PBR)

Now, for the uber-curious, it's only being test marketed in five states. But since coffee and craft beer have both seen incredible growth in the past two decades, I can't believe this won't be on shelves across the country in just a matter of time.

“Pabst Blue Ribbon has always been a brand that pushes boundaries and celebrates those who experiment and try new things. Hard Coffee is an opportunity for us to pioneer a delicious and fun new drink, and give America something unique. We hope everyone loves it as much as we do.” – John Newhouse, PBR Brand Manager via the Beer Street Journal

Keep in mind, this is not coffee flavored beer. In fact, if you take their word for it, except for the name, it's not beer at all; it's kicked up coffee. Groundbreaking it's not. Generations of adults have had after-dinner coffee with a splash (or more) of booze in it.

But with the public's growing insatiable thirst for a "good time", and life seemingly spinning out of control and people's need to numb themselves from that, add to that the fact that many just don't care for the taste of beer, this could be a major hit.

Of course, an important question is, whether we need more alcohol products, when we already have too many alcohol related driving tragedies.